


soft sunsets in a minor key

by estir



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Coffee date, Hot Chocolate, M/M, Sometimes Luke still acts like a child and that's okay, Tales of Secret Santa 2018, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 13:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17265149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/estir/pseuds/estir
Summary: He was already off looking for a free table closer to the hearth, discarding his mittens and scarf as he walked, before Guy had a chance to fully process the request.D-did they evenservehot chocolate here?





	soft sunsets in a minor key

**Author's Note:**

> This is for @clairvauxbernardus on tumblr who requested GuyLuke and “something just warm and happy like sharing hot chocolate or a coffee date”. I hope you enjoy! Sorry for the delay, and Happy Holidays (part 4 of 4)!

Natalia had recommended the cafe to him. It sat right outside the palace walls, quaint and charming and never too crowded. It always smelled of books and coffee beans and old teas from far-off lands. The chairs were all worn down so much that you would sink down so comfortably into their depths. During the colder months, they set a slowly simmering fire in the hearth. The tables spread about the place were all handmade with care, constructed from glossed wood that knotted and dipped in unique, quirky imperfections. The decor was saturated with frames of wrought iron and vines of twine. Lamps were plentiful, but most of the lighting came naturally, streaming through windows cast open to showcase the picturesque city streets.

He should have known, in hindsight, that he wouldn't have the chance to admire the quiet aesthetic of it all.

Whether he meant to or not, Luke tended to soak up all of the attention in any given room. Between his boisterous laughter and his wide-eyed observations, it was hard to notice much of anything else. It’s not like he does it deliberately, either. Luke was free with his thoughts at the best of times and wore his emotions on his sleeves at the worst of times. His spoken thoughts and physical tells were too magnetic, too entrancing, for Guy to do much of anything other than fall into orbit around them all. The natural inclination had been helpful all those years ago, when they were not much more than servant-spy and child-master, but titles can’t help Guy justify his lingering gazes any more. It’s not duty that drove his obsession, but care. It was a compassion that refused to bleed away, even as he moved out of the Duke fon Fabre’s service.

If he once thought he could leave this all behind once his mission was complete, he had been sorely, woefully mistaken.

Luke had tried to tame his shorter, unruly red hair for the outing, but all of his efforts had been a waste once they stepped outside. A cold gust of winter air kicked up loose strands until Luke was left groaning as his hands desperately tried to pat them back into place. Having it longer had been easier, he’d insist whenever Guy mentioned it. The long strands had weighed each other down into something more naturally styled. But now, short enough to fly free but too long for the notion to be whimsical, Luke was left self-conscious. He’d fret over how it looked more than he ever had before. And for some reason, it only got worse when Guy was around.

But maybe this outing could change that. Maybe, in time shared between just the two of them, they could go back to something more like the somewhat-forced friendship they had shared before.

They entered the cafe together with the low chime of an overhead bell. Guy held the handle out for Luke with a soft, reassuring smile, and he took note of the way the cold air turned Luke’s cheeks a red that complimented his low-hanging bangs. The warmth they stepped into seeped into their coats and scarves immediately, and for that, Guy felt himself breath a small sigh of relief. They wouldn’t get past this awkwardness if they were too cold to enjoy each other’s company, that’s for sure.

“I’ll order, if you want to find somewhere to sit?” he offered when Luke sniffed through a troublesome bit of phlegm, “Would you like a coffee as well? Tea?”

Luke glanced off toward the counter, avoided looking Guy head-on, and shook his head gently. “Hot chocolate sounds really good right now, actually.”

He was already off looking for a free table closer to the hearth, discarding his mittens and scarf as he walked, before Guy had a chance to fully process the request.

D-did they even  _ serve  _ hot chocolate here?

His mind filled with combinations and creations that could properly substitute for Luke’s request as he approached the counter and gave his order, but thankfully the barista had just given him a kindly smile and nod. His gaze flew between their drinks and the chair where Luke sat, back and forth until he felt for sure he’d get whiplash. Should he have ordered hot chocolate for himself as well? Should he bring a pastry for them to share? No, no, one for each of them? But surely then their supper would be spoiled. And even if Guy were to get something… what paired with hot chocolate, of all things? Surely not anything sweet and chocolate-filled, which ruled out most of the desserts in the display case--

Luke’s cheeks were dimming, the flush looking much more healthy. That was a relief.

Their drinks were presented before Guy made a decision about the snacks, so he abandoned the half-formed plan. As he carried the drinks across the cafe, he idly wondered why the topic had thrown him into such a frenzy in the first place. Before, he would have shrugged the thought off easily, for sure. If Luke wanted something, Guy would reason, then Luke would certainly say so.

But… now… how were things between them so… different?

He placed the hot chocolate on the side table next to Luke’s chair before taking a seat nearby, a bit further from the small fire. Luke thanked him with a nod and a twitch of the lips, like he had been doing more and more lately, and it subconsciously pulled a matching smile onto Guy’s lips. He tested his coffee when Luke pulled his cup to his lips, and they both pulled away at the same time.

Of course it was still too hot… it had just been poured,  _ idiot _ .

“Hey, Guy,” Luke started, his wide green eyes full of an emotion that Luke couldn’t quite read.

When he didn’t immediately continue, Guy kicked lightly at his boot. It was an invitation to continue, an assurance that Guy was listening, was waiting to hear what he had to say. For some reason, the light laugh and kick he got back from Luke was appreciative and full of light.

“We should hang out like this more often. Just the two of us. It… it makes me really happy, being with you.”

Something fluttered like butterfly wings in Guy’s lungs, but he steadfastly ignored it to relish in this half-hearted sort of job well done.

“I’d like that, too.”


End file.
